New Delhi: Japanese apparel retailer UNIQLO will foray in India next year with the first store in the national capital, a company statement said today.

This will also mark the brand’s entry in the South Asia region. After the launch in Delhi, UNIQLO plans to expand in the national capital region (NCR) before considering other areas.

“India will become the latest in a string of new markets for UNIQLO worldwide, following earlier announcements to launch in Sweden and the Netherlands in 2018,” it said. Following the establishment of a wholly-owned subsidiary in India this month, UNIQLO said it will begin recruiting local talent as it prepares to open its first store in the country.

New Delhi: Amazon India on Wednesday unveiled the Amazon Fashion Studio in Gurugram, a facility that offers allied services such as high-quality catalogue imaging to fashion sellers on Amazon.in.

The studio, called BLINK, is Amazon’s third such facility in the world—the company has one each in London and New York. The 44,000 sq. ft. studio in Gurugram includes 16 photography bays, a ramp and a presentation area along with enclosed workspaces for Amazon teams and fashion sellers to collaborate on creative content.

Source : Livemint 25 May 2017

New Delhi: Two companies, including fashion chain Benetton Group, have sought approval of the government to enter India through the “FDI in single-brand retail” route.

The Benetton Group sells apparel under the brand name of United Colors of Benetton.

Benetton India Pvt. Ltd has sought approval to undertake e-commerce and retail trading of imported goods, according to the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP).

Karnataka-based Actoserba Active Wholesale Pvt. Ltd wants to undertake single-brand retail trading and e-commerce of Zivame branded lingerie products. Two foreign individuals—Katarzyna Dmoch and Rami Shinnawie—have also sought nod from the government to set up a 100% foreign-owned Indian retail arm of Caracole Interior Designs, Qatar.

Currently, foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 49% is permitted under the automatic route but beyond that limit, government’s nod is required. Foreign investment is allowed subject to certain conditions, which require products to be of a “single brand” only and to be sold under the same brand globally.

New Delhi: Two companies, including fashion chain Benetton Group, have sought approval of the government to enter India through the “FDI in single-brand retail” route.

Source : Busines Standard 5 May 2017

Spanish fashion chain Zara is looking at opening larger stores of 30,000-50,000 sq ft in the country. Its older stores have an average size of 20,000 sq ft. On Thursday, it opened its 51,300-sq ft store in Fort area of Mumbai, its largest in the country.

Zara, which opened its first store in India in 2010, has 20 stores now. It also planned to absorb smaller stores into bigger ones, wherein it would close smaller ones and take their merchandise, and absorb staff into larger ones, said Jesus Echevarria, chief communications and corporate affairs officer at Inditex, the parent firm of Zara.

NEW DELHI: Fancy a ‘Monster’ bow tie, a ‘Lightbulb’ blazer or aTafetta dress for your little one? From Armani Junior and Fendi Kids to Baby Dior and some Indian festive couture, the designer wear market for kids in India has plenty to leave parents and their little ones spoilt for choice. According to a March 2016 category briefing by Euromonitor International, spends on branded childrenwear products are on the rise in urban centres in India with kidswear expected to reach sales of Rs 1.6 trillion by 2020.

Business for Armani Junior, the designer wear kids brand from the eponymous designer whose average transactions hover around Rs 15,000, grew by 15-19% over the last financial year in India. Armani Junior operates through a store in DELHI and services various customers across the country via special orders and requests.

Mumbai: Massimo Dutti, the Spanish premiumfashion brand from the Inditex stable which also owns Zara, is entering India after years of wait due to regulatory hurdles. Its first store will open in a Delhi mall with 5,027 sq ft of retail space. Globally, Massimo Dutti has 755 stores across 73 countries.

The Zara group competes with Sweden’s H&M, which entered India last year. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) had in 2012 rejected the proposal for Massimo Dutti citing violation of a rule framed by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) that says an investor must own the brand it is proposing to bring to India. In the case of Massimo Dutti, the application was made by Zara Holdings Netherlands, but the brand is owned by Euro 13.8-billion Spanish retail chain, Inditex.

MUMBAI: In the largest ever space transaction by any international retailer on high streets across the country, Spanish fashion chain Zara has picked up 50,000 sq ft carpet space in South Mumbai’s most prime location of Flora Fountain, said two persons familiar with the development.

The world’s biggest fashion retailer has leased the space on the ground floor of Ismail Building diagonally opposite HSBC’s India head office located in Fort.

The retailer will be paying an astronomical annual rent of Rs 30 crore and the lease will run for tenure of minimum 15 years with a five-year lock in. “The transaction has been inked and Zara will start working on its interiors in the next couple of weeks. Monthly rent for the same Rs 2.5 crore,” said one has been set at of the persons mentioned above.”The brand was looking for an apt location with blend of vintage and contemporary outlook and Flora Fountain fit the bill perfectly .”